


Another Day In The Commonwealth

by killedbydying



Category: Fallout 4
Genre: F/F, Spoilers, railroad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-09
Updated: 2016-03-19
Packaged: 2018-05-25 16:59:41
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,118
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6203489
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/killedbydying/pseuds/killedbydying
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sole struggles with her place in the Commonwealth..but Piper is always right behind her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Another Day In The Commonwealth

**Author's Note:**

> I felt like the story and feelings of the characters deserved further development that you can only really get in a book format, first chapter. More will come I promise! Taken from my Tumblr.

Another day in the Commonwealth”. Nora thought to herself. Whilst her (prolonged) cryo-stasis saved her from exposure to the resulting nuclear winter after the Great War, the heat now was unrelenting. The sun seemed particularly hot that day, beaming down on the two travellers with a scorching ferocity. They continued eastward. Since destroying the Institute, the travellers had not stopped save for a few nights at the Railroad headquarters, where Des debriefed the team that lead the assault on the organisation that had held the Commonwealth in fear for so long. The world was changing, and next on the agenda for the Railroad was to ensure the safe passage of synths into their new life. That first night was the worst, the victory over the Institute marred by the persistent image of her son dying in his bed behind her eyelids every time they closed. She had destroyed everything he held dear, his life’s work, his friends, and his family (a surge of rage passed through Nora at this thought). Most of all he died disappointed in her…and coming to terms with this fact was going to take time. She had honoured his last wish though, which was revealed posthumously through the holotape the young “boy” had produced so eagerly. She remembers the apprehension she felt when he waited so innocently for her at the transporter. He was not her son, she knew that, but she also knew that if she left, those pleading eyes that were so remarkably like her very own would haunt her just as much (if not more so) than the face of the old man dying in his bed. The constant reminder that was synth Shaun was too much for Nora, and she knew she had to get out of there.

“Hey Blue!” Nora was drawn back into the present. The sweat was starting to drip down her forehead, and the Railroad Armour Mark IV and Gauss rifle were feeling unbearably heavy in the heat. She whisked around to see Piper a few feet behind. “So where exactly are we headed?” The stalwart reporter had been her companion for the majority of her journey, by her side every step of the way since their meeting at the gates of Diamond city. She recalled her thoughts at that time. Who the hell was this annoying, loud crazy woman shouting at the Fenway intercom? Her hand at the ready to draw her gun if need be. Yet the two had since developed a bond that could only be forged in the fire and blood of the wasteland. Piper’s outspoken unwavering demand for justice was a trait that Norah greatly admired, and reminded her of her reasons for acquiring a law degree after her military service. “Hello? Are you there?”

“Uhh…yeah…”

“We’ve been walking a long time blue, not that I mind…I mean, if there’s a story, we’ll find it…just…I don’t know what we’re looking for.”

Piper regretted the words as soon as they came out of her mouth. She knew exactly why they were out there. Blue had been extra quiet since they brought down the Institute. It was clear that she had gone through a traumatising experience, and only now that the goal of saving her son was gone did her mind have the room for all those dark thoughts that had been kept at bay by her mission creep in, and this was why they had blasted every bloodbug, radscorpion and the like they had come across into oblivion.

“I told you that you didn’t have to come Piper.”

“What!? I may be a girl of the Commonwealth Blue but some of us do know to respect our elders, and I couldn’t just let a relic such as yourself wander around unsupervised.” Piper said this with the wriest of smiles, hoping her attempt at humour would elicit some kind of reaction from her friend.

Nora looked at the shorter woman’s face beaming up at her. She really is such a good friend, she thought. Looking at her, she realized how selfish she had been. She felt a pang of regret as she looked at the woman before her, convinced that she would (and arguably, already had) follow her into the gates of hell itself. She could be safe back in Diamond City, eating noodles, spending time with Nat…anything but walking the state carrying around her stuff and risking life and limb following her. She thought Preston was impressed by her deeds, but Piper was somehow even more so. She didn’t say anything and continued walking.

Soon Nora felt the familiar crunch of sand under her boots. They were finally at the coast. The ocean was a welcome sight. Nora always loved the sea, the cool breeze offered some welcome respite from the heat…and for a moment, looking at the setting sun, she was taken back to the pre-war days, forgetting about the toxic radiation in the water, and who knows what monstrosity lurking beneath its depths. She turned to face Piper.

“Piper.”

“Hmm?” She responded, somewhat taken aback by the break in silence.

“So Kingsport lighthouse is up ahead, it’s a settlement Preston and I cleared out a little while ago. We can rest up there, last time I was there, the settlers were in talks about setting up a bar.”

A familiar clacking sound could be heard approaching. Mirelurks.

“Sounds fantastic Blue. Right behind ya!”

And off they went.

 

TO BE CONTINUED….


	2. Remnants of Mire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sole and Piper previously decided to take a break from wandering and killing the creatures of the Commonwealth and head to Kingsport Lighthouse for a much needed rest. Sole momentarily forgets the turmoil and suffering she has experienced.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Curie, Kingsport, Sole Survivor, Piper, Female Sole Survivor, Femslash,

It was just on dusk when Piper and Blue started walking up the rocky road to Kingsport. The lighthouse was a friendly beacon in the Commonwealth and the settlement was thriving. The wall around the perimeter made the settlers feel at ease, and the neighbouring Children of Atom dare not venture anywhere near their defences.  
"Woof!"  
  
"Hey! Dogmeat!" Nora propped her Gauss rifle against a tree just as her trusted furred companion jumped up and placed his huge front paws square on her shoulders. "Aww you're a good boy aren’t you? Keeping everybody safe boy?"  
"Woof!" he replied. Licking her face and wagging his tail.  
Piper smiled "Geez Blue, you are like a different person around animals." It was nice to see Blue relaxed and happy, she thought. Nora calmed the animal down and turned to face her. "I don’t know about you, but my body is aching, you ready for a shower and dinner? Piper sighed. The stars were starting to flicker in the darkened sky. "Nights like this a nice spot with a cold beer would be heaven." Nora nodded and picked up her gear. They headed past the fields of mutfruit and down the stairs towards the beach, where Nora’s base at this settlement had remarkably, been built over the water. “I’ll never figure out how they managed to do that.” Piper remarked. “Well,” a delicate, accented voice started behind them. I would guess that they used Brahmin and a large mass to drive the piles through the water and soil, ootilizing a mechanical device similar to that used in the construction of the city of Venice!”  
“Curie!” Nora exclaimed. “How are you? Is everything okay? Adjusting to the new body?”  
“Oh yes,” She replied. “It can be overwhelming, all these new feelings...they make me dizzy. It is difficult to adjust to only deux hands, but I am much ‘appier now.” Even though I am frightened because I am much more difficult to fix if I am injured..”  
“Hey,” Nora lowered her voice and spoke softly, grasping the ‘French girl’ by the shoulders and looking her in the eyes. “It’s okay Curie, I’m going to keep you safe. That’s why you’re here behind these walls with Dogmeat and more heavy machinegun and laser turrets than you can poke a stick at.” “When you are ready and have learnt all you can from here, you can come back out with me on the road.”  
Piper frowned and raised an inquisitive eyebrow without realizing, “Why would a robot know about Venice?” She butted in. She had come across an intact page once about places even more ancient than “Boston” and “America” and prided herself on her above-wasteland-average intelligence. Whenever Curie was around, she made her feel…dumb, it seemed even worse though now she was a synth, and a cute one at that. “Oui, most of my knowledge is in the biological sciences, ‘owever I have a lot of information on ‘istory for anthropological purposes, and construction methods in the event that I should leave the Vault and be of some assistance in rebuilding society.” “Perhaps, Piper, you could add some of my scientific articles to your paper?”  
“Pfft. You haven’t met our readers have you?” The reporter retorted.  
“Anyway, Curie, it’s good to see you. Piper and I should go get cleaned up.” Nora was desperate to get cleaned up and pick out all the bits of feral ghoul brains and mirelurk shell out of her hair. “Ah yes, and I ave more cataloguing to do perhaps I shall see you later. Au revoir mes amis!” Curie left the two weary travellers.  
They approached the timber showerblock which used a steel drum of water on the roof which would be heated using the suns natural heat or fire and a second drum of cold water, allowing the user to have some control over the temperature. One of the women in the camp had started making soaps out of hubflower which were very popular. “Pretty luxury for the apocalypse”. Nora thought to herself. She started undoing the straps on her Railroad armour and was in her underwear in no time. “Ohh yeaah that’s good! She turned and saw Piper was already in her cubicle.  
  
Nora heard the whoosh of steam and felt the hot water hit her skin. Though it was hot during the day the temperature had dropped significantly and the shower felt so good on her aching muscles. The fragrant soap foaming into a nice lather over her skin. She reach her hands up to her hair and tried to get out all the wasteland crud. She felt hard fragments of shell and gristle in her hair, which were painstakingly difficult to get out. “Hey Blue, need a hand?” Piper asked.  
“Huh?” A startled Nora turned around to see Piper with her arms folded over the edge of the low timber wall that separated the 2 cubicles. Piper raised her open hands out to her and motioned for her to come closer. She acquiesced.  
  
“Oh my god what the hell am I doing, is this weird? this is weird.” Piper was panicking. She had finished washing when her eyes had caught the wet, lathered up vault dweller through the steam. She didn’t meant to let her eyes linger but she had been staring for some time when she noticed Blue was having trouble picking a chunk of mirelurk shell out of her hair. She had fed and clothed her sister when she was younger and that part of her instinctively reached out to help. Only this wasn’t Nat, this was a strong, caring, trustworthy, drop dead gorgeous two hundred and 30(?) year old woman who’s ass she had been following around the Commonwealth for months. She hoped she wouldn’t notice her trembling hands as she helped her. She was increasingly away of the thin wall pressed against her breasts as she leaned toward her friend, the only thing keeping her from being pressed against her. As she removed the last piece from her hair she couldn’t help but take in the sight of her, not that she could really see much from her vantage point and through the steam. How she felt the overwhelming desire to brush the woman’s hair to one side and gently start kissing along her neck, just to have a small taste of her... she had never felt this way about anyone before…  
“Alright! Good to go! Wow you have amazing hair! Must be from a lifetime of non-irradiated nutrition, and being frozen didn’t damage it either! (Brain to mouth filter on Piper, brain to mouth!).”

Nora stepped out of the shower, with her back to Piper dried off and put on her jeans and leather jacket she got from Zeke and the Atom Cats. Piper, blushing, turned around and put on her favourite jeans and shirt she usually wore under her red overcoat, which had been left there since they last visited. The two were both relieved to have a break from wearing the bloodied, heavy Railroad amour.

Piper pulled her press cap out of her pack, dusted it off and placed it firmly on her head.

“So, how about that beer?”  
Let’s go.


End file.
